1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to adjustable chairs. More particularly, the present invention relates to a tilt assembly which allows the user of the chair to tilt the seat in any direction. Specifically, the present invention relates to such a tilt assembly which utilizes hydraulic systems to provide a selected resistance to the tilting movement as well as to provide a hydraulic lock for securing the seat at a chosen tilted position.
2. Background Information
While adjustable chairs have been known for some time, ergonomically adjustable seating which is widely available to the public at large is a more recent development which may be due to the use of computers, which has substantially increased the number of office workers who are desk bound. Most of the currently available adjustable chairs are adjusted at a first sitting or early on in the use of the chair such that the chair typically remains in the position set by the user of the chair. While the ability of the user to adjust the chair may be helpful in providing comfort to the user, this fixed position is still generally less than desirable due to the amount of time that the user spends in the chair. Thus, this stationary or sedentary work position is less than desirable in terms of productivity, employee morale, and the minimization of sick days taken by employees. Most of the currently available ergonomic chairs provide for the height adjustment of the seat, (usually by a gas lift strut or mechanical rotary screw), the forward and backward tilting of the seat, and the forward and backward tilting of the backrest. However, to the Applicant's knowledge, current ergonomic chairs do not provide for the side to side tilting of the chair seat nor do they provide a chair seat which may be set for continuous tilting movement in any direction while providing a control for the degree of resistance to the tilting movement, which is useful for controlling the speed at which the tilting movement occurs as well as a mechanism for exercise while the user is seated. The present invention addresses these and other problems in the art.